New mandarin rootstock launched at Gayndah
The field day will be held at the orchard of Russell and Lisa Baker, near Gayndah, from 10.30am until midday. There will be a field walk to see the trial and an official ceremony to mark the release.
Malcolm Smith, citrus breeder at the DAF Bundaberg Research Station, said the new variety will be named after Patricia Barkley, a retired citrus pathologist who was instrumental in bringing new genetic material (rootstocks), including this particular rootstock, to Australia.
“To be marketed under the name of Barkley, this new rootstock has shown solid performance over the last 10 years of production in an Imperial rootstock experiment planted at Gayndah in 2004,” Malcolm said.
“It was one of 33 different rootstocks tested in this experiment and will now be established by AusCitrus for distribution to Australian growers.
“The field day is the first opportunity for growers to see mature trees on these different rootstocks, and consider their suitability for commercial use ahead of anticipated seed availability in a few years’ time.”
The event is being jointly organised by the Qld Regional Advisory Committee, Qld Citrus Improvement Committee, and Qld Dept of Agriculture and Fisheries.
For more information:
Malcolm Smith
Citrus Australia
malcolm.smith@daf.qld.gov.au